SYLA: A Community Awareness

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SYLA A Community Awareness Youth Leadership
Development Program
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Agenda/Outline

• Background
• Purpose Objectives
• Steering Committee Sub-committees
• Program Components
• Marketing Promotion
• Costs Sponsorships
• Highlights Outcomes
• Photos Throughout

Folder with CD and handouts
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What is the Academy?

• Focuses on developing leadership skills and
  increasing awareness about the community
• Sophomores and juniors from Guadalupe County
  Schools (5 public and 1 private)
• Overall coordination provided by the Texas
  AgriLife Extension Service, Guadalupe-Blanco
  River Authority and the Seguin Area Chamber of
  Commerce, in cooperation with numerous business
  and community leaders

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How Program Came About

• Interest from Extension, Chamber, Seguin
  Leadership Class Alumni
• Positive Experiences in (Adult) Seguin Leadership
  Class
• Group formed to begin plans in March 2005
• First class conducted in 2006

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The Purpose is...

• ...to provide students with a theoretical and
  operational foundation in the essential skills,
  beliefs, and practices of leadership. Through
  their participation in the program, the students
  will be prepared to make a positive impact on the
  quality of life in our community.

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The Objectives Are

• To identify students who have demonstrated
  leadership qualities or displayed a potential
  toward leadership
• To select a class which represents a diverse
  group of students including gender, ethnicity,
  and geographic areas

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• To present in-depth programs to acquaint
  participants with community needs, opportunities,
  challenges, and resources, and to encourage
  interaction with community leaders
• To understand the responsibilities of a leader,
  and to develop skills in ethical decision-making
• To foster opportunities for teamwork and
  collaborative problem solving

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Sub-committees
Steering Committee
Oversees overall SYLA program

• Application/Selection
• Program
• Marketing/Promotion
• Donors/Sponsors
• Academy Implementation
• Team Projects

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Program Components

• Application Selection (February)
• Youth Leader Parent Orientation (April)
• Week-long academy (July)
• Team projects (July-November)
• Apprentice Graduation Event (November)

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Application Selection

• Application requires 3 recommendation forms
• Applications made available from school
  counselors, Extension office and Chamber
• Encourage counselors to promote opportunity to
  the rising stars
• Formal selection process developed

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Orientation

• Youth leaders meet and begin team building
  activities
• Youth leaders and parents learn more
• Explain expectations
• Commercials from community leaders
• Commitment form

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Summer Academy
3rd week of July, local college campus

• Saturday
• Check in, move into rooms
• Orientation
• Kick off
• Identify community issues
• Sunday
• Ropes Course off campus

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Monday - Thursday

• Develop and strengthen personal leadership and
  team building skills
• Explore various aspects of community, industry,
  etc.
• Process and apply days activities
• Thank you notes to supporters

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• Thursday evening
• Team project proposals
• Select 1 project for class
• Friday morning
• SYLA Challenge Game
• Present class project proposal
• Closing session and send off

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Community Awareness

• Social Services
• Hospital
• Media
• Service Clubs
• Ag/Natural Resources
• Utilities

• County City Government
• Business Industry
• Public Education
• Police Department
• Appraisal Taxes
• Heritage Tourism

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Leadership Lessons
Texas Association of Student Councils Student
Leadership Course Curriculum

• Leadership Defined Structure of Leadership
• Problem-Solving
• Motivation Goal Setting
• Communication
• Community/Civic Responsibility

Facilitated by community leaders
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Project Work
Summer - Fall

• Following the academy, youth leaders work on a
  community issue and prepare for the Apprentice
  and Graduation Event
• Community leaders serve as project advisors

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Projects

• Community Park Renovation
• Scholarship
• Project Safe House
• Moore House Restoration
• Seguin Historical Youth Preservers Club
• Seguin High School Beautification

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• BEFORE

• AFTER

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Apprentice andGraduation Event
November

• Teams work from July to November to investigate
  and address their issue
• Oral Presentation Content
• Identify the issue
• Explain how project was conducted
• Evaluate success of project in meeting desired
  objectives
• Provide recommendations and implications for
  further action

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Apprentice andGraduation Event

• Oral Presentation Delivery
• 1015 minutes in length
• Utilizes visuals (multi-media)
• Team members respond to questions from the
  Donald and his panel
• Graduation to recognize participants

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Marketing Promotion

• Logo developed
• Promotional brochure created
• DVD produced following 2006 program
• 2 interpretive reports annually
• Expandable briefcase, polo shirt and t-shirt for
  each youth leader

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Costs and Sponsorships

• 500 per participant for lodging, meals, facility
  fees, educational materials, shirts, expandable
  briefcase, etc.
• Tuition for each youth leader is 50, 25 of
  which will go toward project
• Sponsorships and donations are the only way we
  can provide this program opportunity
• Local businesses, alumni, parents and other
  individuals

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2006 2007 Highlights

• 32 (16 each year) youth leaders from 2 public
  schools and 1 private high school
• Team projects
• Downtown Beautification
• Seguin Students for School Beautification
• Moore House Renovation
• Family Violence Shelter Renovation
• Scholarship
• Manual C. Castilla Park Renovation

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2007 Outcomes

• All 14 respondents reported a marked increase in
  skills including
• applying personal leadership skills in group
  situations
• meeting new people
• listening
• being open to others opinions
• positively impacting community issues

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• Demonstrated significant increase in knowledge,
  understanding, awareness and/or appreciation of
• utility companies and their services
• tourism
• city and county government
• law enforcement
• public education system
• health care and social services
• agriculture and natural resources
• business and industry
• transportation

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What They Said

• Nine (9) of 14 (64) rated their overall SYLA
  experience at excellent, saying
• The program greatly benefited me by giving me an
  experience from which I can learn and grow.
• It taught me a lot of skills that I can later
  use in the future as a leader.

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What They Said

• When asked how they would utilize what they
  learned, they said
• I will take the lessons learned from the
  experience with me for the rest of my life.
• Help keeping in mind my community and what
  problems it faces.

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What Parents Said

• Parents of the teens were also surveyed, and
  reported
• He learned so much about himself and realizes
  what it takes to be successful and a valued
  member of his community.
• It expanded her horizons to focus on community,
  and broadened her world.

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Questions Answers
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• Thanks for your attention!!

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SYLA Contact Information

• Laura Petty
• Texas AgriLife Extension Service
• 830-379-2153, ljpetty_at_tamu.edu
• Teresa Van Booven
• Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
• 830-379-5822, tvanbooven_at_gbra.org